“Drift”, interview with director Anthony Chen

March 25, 2024

Anthony Chen: “I was moved by the screenplay:the protagonist was so human and real”

“Drift”, interview with director Anthony Chen Chiara Nicoletti

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Caméra d’Or-winning film director Anthony Chen’s English-language debut, “Drift“, will have its UK cinematic release on 29 March.

The film, starring the multi-Award-winning Cynthia Erivo, is based on the novel A Marker to Measure Drift by Alexander Maksik. After premiering at Sundance Film Festival last year and traveling along film festivals around the world, the film is ready to land on UK screens.

Anthony Chen (“Ilo Ilo“, “Wet Season“) reveals that “even though Alexander Maksik’s novel is a work of fiction, there was a truth in its heroine that felt utterly human and honest”. He was so moved by this screenplay that he decided to embark on this film project.

At the heart of “Drift” is Jacqueline (Erivo), a refugee from Liberia, landing upon the beaches of Greece, putting up a daily fight to survive. What is interesting and new about Drift’s point of view is that Jacqueline is not your usual refugee. She comes from a position of privilege, having enjoyed the power and comforts of establishment and now fallen from grace. Jacqueline struggles to belong, to define her very own existence.

Anthony Chen confesses that he has always considered himself as an outsider so he understands the struggle of his protagonist.

Plot

Jacqueline (Cynthia Erivo), a young refugee, lands alone and penniless on a Greek island, where she tries first to survive and then to cope with her past. While gathering her strength, she begins a friendship with a rootless tour-guide (Alia Shawkat) and together they find the resilience to forge ahead.

Written by: Chiara Nicoletti

Guest

Anthony Chen